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How not to camp.
As any festival goer will tell you, setting up camp is a competitive sport.
Rolling into a music festival with a couch strapped to your Commodore is one thing. Kicking back with mates beneath a classic canvas bell tent, surrounded by the comforts of home, is quite another.
Remember that you are creating a temporary home away from home, a safe and welcoming place to retreat from the hullabaloo, so it makes sense to be as organised as possible so you can enjoy the festival with the no hassle.
Here are a few tips to ensure you lead the pack in the campsite stakes this festival season.
The couch.
TIP - Buy well designed, built to last gear: Camping isn’t all about bells and whistles, but decent design goes a long way in terms of the aesthetics and reliability of your festival HQ. Good gear is made with love, using quality materials.
Look to camp in elevated parts of the campsite (think about potential water flow) but be sure to select a flat piece of ground, preferably with some shade. Now is probably a good time to check out your neighbourhood. These are the people who will be around you for the foreseeable future…through the highs (and sometime lows) of the festival journey … any warning signs? Pays to be aware.
Remove all sharp objects under foot and bring some extra tough tent stakes and a mallet to use with hard ground. Position the tent so that your door is facing away from the prevailing wind. Use a tarp or some shade cloth cut to size of your tent and stake under your ground sheet, this will provides extra protection against the elements and ensure the long-life of your tent.
Find the right spot.
Two-minute noodles are for university dorms, not festival adventures, and besides, getting gourmet in the outdoors is easier than you’d think.
Invest in a quality, air-tight Esky so your meat (pre-diced steak), spuds (par-boiled for efficiency, of course), vegies (and beer) stays fresh and cool. Be sure to keep a vigilante eye open for the camp mates amongst us with a proclivity for not closing the esky lid properly, thus resulting in beer not of the cold variety.
Whether your festival allows open fires or stipulates the use of the humble Butane cooker, remember that cast-iron cookpots are not just for celebrity chefs – and good gear leads to good meals.
A canvas utensil roll is a good idea for keeping all your sharp knives and spoons packed up and ready to go, and you can slip a cheeky flask to ensure the chef is plied with whiskey during cooking hour.
Top it all off with a fancy salt and pepper shaker and quality enamelware, and you’ll be eating like a king.
TIP - Best camping meals for festivals: Before you leave home, stock your cooking pot full of spices, preserves and decent olive oil. Buy a pill box from the chemist (or use empty tic tac containers) and fill it with pinches of saffron, paprika, cumin, fresh chilli and any other flavours that take your fancy. When it comes to one-pot wonders, it’s the little things that make all the difference.
Food for Kings, not kebabs for losers. Photo by Brooke Holm.
TIP - Control your environment:
Once you claim your campsite, park all your entourage’s cars in a circle around your intended tent-pitching zone, and leave them there until home-time. This will ensure the safety of your crew once they’re tucked into bed, and it also prevents passers-by from trampling across your turf.
A good tent is crucial to your camping experience, both for practicality and appearance. (Trust us: if you rely on a department store dome tent, it won’t just be your eyes that suffer.)
A good tent is a sturdy structure that’s made of the real stuff – canvas is a natural material that stays cool in the heat, insulates in the cold, and won’t tear in strong winds. It also breathes well and regulates humidity – perfect for the Australian climate (the major upside here is you’ll be getting shut-eye way past sunrise, while your neighbours roll bleary-eyed from their sweaty domes at the first heat of the morning).
A bell-shape provides a height advantage with a charming aesthetic, perfect for impromptu costume changes, intimate parties, and of course, incurring the envy of all other campers.
Inside, self-inflating mattresses are a no-fuss solution to comfortable ground-sleeping. Woollen blankets provide a cosy addition to the warmth and wearability of your trusty sleeping bag.
String some solar-powered fairy lights from your shelter (this is extra handy for orientation after a few brews) and hang a lantern at your tent’s entrance, to light the way on night-time toilet runs.
Only thing left to do is greet your neighbour, crack open a beer and create a nice communal vibe!
Look after your camp and yer mates!
We all know that the festival campsite can get a little messy as the day goes on. Why not adopt Meredith’s Clean Up Song ritual: gather your camp mates and do regular clean ups throughout the day to your favourite tunes. There’s nothing like a clean campsite when you’ve got a messy head …
TIPS - some more tips:
• Full length mirror, for pre-festival costume checks
• Heavy duty rubbish bags for no-fuss clean-ups
• A washtub for doing the dishes
• A spare car key (there’s always someone who loses theirs – don’t be that guy…)
• A dustpan and brush to keep your tent looking sharp
• Boots and sneakers are for outside the tent, thongs for inside!
Festivals are fun.
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HOMECAMP Ts&Cs
Welcome to Homecamp. This website is owned and operated by Homecamp and if you purchase from us you are subject to our terms and conditions. You should read these conditions carefully prior to purchase, as placement of an order implies your acceptance of them.
RETURNS
Homecamp wants you to feel completely satisfied with your purchases made online. For any reason an item is not what you expected - the wrong colour, size or you've simply changed your mind - it can be returned for an exchange or full refund.
Please note that an item will only be accepted for exchange or credit note under the following conditions:
• The item is unused, unworn and in brand new condition with packaging intact and the original labels attached.
• A copy of a valid receipt is included with the return.
• The item is returned within 14 days of the receipt date.
Please note that all conditions must be strictly adhered to in regards to returns and exchanges and that exchanges will not be accepted under any conditions if you fail to meet these requirements.
We always inspect our goods to ensure our highest quality standards are met. Many of our products are made from natural products such as wood, canvas and leather. Any variations or marks naturally occurring in these materials are intended. If, however, you receive faulty or incorrect items, we will gladly pay the postage costs for a replacement. If the reason for the return is a ‘change of mind’, then this must be shipped and handled at your own cost.
If you wish to return something, please email [email protected] with your original order number and reason for return.
RETURNS ON SALE ITEMS
We have a NO RETURN ON SALE ITEMS policy.
MISPLACED ORDERS
If for some reason your parcel does not arrive within a reasonable time please contact us on [email protected] and we will track it for you.
PRIVACY POLICY
Any personal information that you provide to us including your name, address, telephone number and email address will not be released, sold or rented to any entities or individuals outside of Homecamp.
ORDERING
All prices are listed in Australian Dollars (AUD) and include 10% Goods and Service Tax (GST). Orders will be processed in Australian Dollars (AUD) only and we do not accept payments in other currencies. We accept payment for goods via major credit cards or PayPal and all your information is securely transferred through an SSL encrypted connection provided by eWay. Goods will be shipped promptly once full payment is received. We reserve the right to change prices advertised on this website at any time.
AVAILABILITY AND BACK ORDERS
In some instances it may be that an item is listed as in stock when in fact, it is not. If this happens we will contact you within 24 hours to come to an agreement on offering you a refund, placing the item on backorder or replacing with a suitable alternative.
DELIVERIES IN AUSTRALIA
Orders are processed as quickly as possible, typically within 1-3 business days of placing your order. We use Australia Post and Couriers Please for small parcel (less then 15kg) deliveries throughout Australia, with the exception of larger orders such as our tents where we engage the services of a courier delivery service, usually Toll or TNT. Courier and post delivery times vary and we cannot guarantee delivery by a certain date so we recommend you allow plenty of time for your order to reach you, particularly if you live in WA or regional areas. If you need an item urgently, please opt for Express Post at the checkout if this option is not available (i.e. on tents or free delivery over $200) then please email us for a quote ([email protected]).
All delivery costs are normally calculated at the checkout. If you are not at home to accept your delivery, then a card will be left and your parcel will be available for collection from your nearest Australia Post office. The same system applies to all courier deliveries. If you would like the courier to leave your package without signing, please ensure you leave this instruction when you checkout. If you choose to have an order left without a signature, Homecamp is not liable for any missing or damaged items.
INTERNATIONAL DELIVERIES
We use Australia Post, Sendle or Shippit for all deliveries to international destinations. Some items such as tents are not available for international shipping and you can contact us for quote. You should be aware that import duties, taxes and charges are not included in the item price or shipping charges. Please check with your local customs office to find out what these additional costs will be. If you have any questions regarding deliveries in Australia or internationally, please contact us at [email protected]
